Helen Greek Food & Wine: Brightens Palates With New Menu

Helen Greek Food & Wine, located in Rice Village, launched a new menu a few months back. And although their name had already become synonymous with Greek regional cuisine with an all-Greek wine list to further that claim, Executive Chef William Wright has now set his eyes on a menu that will definitely place Helen Greek in a league of their own.

Sommelier Evan Turner shares the wine pairings for the evening

With a new focus on the Greek Islands and other surrounding areas of the Mediterranean, the local favorite is brightening up the menu with fresh, zesty, and tangy dishes that are balanced just perfectly with other earthy and peppery flavors. Combine this with locally-sourced seafood, produce and meats, and you’ll find that Helen Greek delivers with a fairly unique menu.

Without further ado, we’ll jump straight into this new menu that I’ve been speaking so highly of:

Marinated Feta

With zero hesitation, you’ll dive head first into the Marinated Feta. If you love feta, then there is no question this dish will rank high. Set atop a gracious serving of roots olive oil, the mild tangy notes of the cheese blended with pepperoncini and aleppo pepper for a subtle kick, is destined to become an addictive dish. The feta is finished off with wild oregano and caper leaves and served with bread, of course.

Halloumni Karpouzi

This is not your average grilled cheese and is probably unlike anything you’ve ever tried. Called Halloumni Karpouzi, this classic dish of grilled cheese is named after its two main ingredients: halloumi cheese and ouzo watermelon. Although not as tangy as feta, halloumi brings a salty characteristic that makes watermelon a perfect partner. And just to show off a bit more, it sits on a nice serving of nutty pistachio mint pesto.

Feta Brined Chicken

For the main course, a protein is in order and the Feta Brined Chicken exceeds all expectations. The presentation kind of reminded me of brick chicken minus the extra crispy skin. The organic and free range chicken was tender and juicy as anticipated but the lemon potatoes with the added crumbles of marinated feta just took what I thought would be good to great. Another great dish was the Lamb Steak and if you are remotely a fan of greens, then Helen offers some of the best in the city. The lamb is sliced and placed over greens and orzo and is enough for two people to share.

Helen Greek Food & Wine has gone back to the roots of great Green cuisine and there is really nothing like it in Houston. If it’s been a while since you’ve visited, now is a great time to refresh your memory.

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